Diseased Animals Enter Livestock Market
It came forward on Monday that due to lack of any effective method at city’s entry points to separate any diseased animals, cattle affected with Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) were brought to livestock market of Karachi just before Eid ul Azha. Sources confirm that contractors hired by government had been collecting money from traders in the name of “animal health clearance fee” and permitted them to take their animals to the market.
A livestock trader reported that they had been paying a fee of Rs400 per big animal but there is not a single veteran available to check the health of animals. There are three fee collection points, one is located near Sassi Toll Plaza at National Highway, second is in front of the cement factory on M-9 and third is near the animal market on Mowach Goth area on Northern Bypass and their no veterinary service available at any above mentioned points.
The sourced have reported that the major chunk of LSD infected animals were being transported from Punjab, where the disease had been on rise. Nine LSD cases were identified and officially reported by the sacrificial livestock market managed by Cantonment Board Malir every year. A spokesperson from the market told that no animal was unloaded and the consignment was returned and all traders were asked to produce the vaccination certificates.
Provincial director general-livestock Dr Nazeer Kalhoro said that it was responsibility of the KMC to manage cattle markets in whole city and make sure that no diseased animal enter the market as they collect taxes from traders. He further added that they have not received any written complaint yet but they are aware of the fact that local government staff have been collecting money from traders without providing any service and they have sent a letter to KMC two weeks earlier t take all necessary precautionary measures ahead of Eid ul Azha and no animal must be allowed without the small pox an LSD vaccination certificate. He urged the general public to get afraid of LSD as the cattle disease is of no threat to human health and care number of cattle have already been recovered but still have scars on their skins. He urged the people not to reject these animals as they have developed life-long immunity.
KMC official Iqbal Nawaz claimed that the corporation played no role in cattle market’s supervision as they are only responsible for examining animals while fee is collected by district municipal corporation.
